The Trouble With Gossip
by AliasCWN
Summary: Hitch and an old classmate must deal with a delicate problem with the help of their friends.
1. Chapter 1

**The Trouble With Gossip**

By: AliasCWN

Tully and Hitch were seated in the mess hall finishing their lunch.

"What do you have planned for tonight?" Tully asked between bites.

"I've got a date with a nurse." Hitch answered. "You?"

"Moffitt loaned me a new book he just finished reading. I thought I'd get a start on it." Tully answered.

"Do you really like all that stuff about those ancient civilizations?"

Tully paused to consider his answer. "Yeah, I do, it's interesting. After I read a couple of chapters Doc goes over it with me to explain anything I didn't understand. It's like it comes to life when he explains it. He starts talking and I can picture it all in my head as if I were there."

"Urg! Dead guys in your head!" Hitch shuddered.

Tully laughed. "It's not like that. I don't picture them dead. In my mind they are living, breathing people…even if they are a little strange."

"Strange? Is that what you call it? We've come a long way since those times. I think that most people are more compassionate than they were back then. Just take the way they used to feed Christians to the lions as a form of entertainment. That was barbaric."

Tully shrugged. "I guess it seems so now but back then nobody seemed to mind."

"Nobody but the people being fed to the lions." Hitch answered.

"Yeah," Tully agreed, "I imagine they had a problem with it."

"For all the good it did them." Hitch continued.

"That's just one example of an ancient culture." Tully defended his interest. "Besides, we learn from our past."

"Do we? Aren't the Germans trying to get rid of the Jews? It seems to me that we just learn how to get better at killing."

"All right, so we still have a long way to go." Tully admitted. "But that's why we need to be educated about the past. We need to change, I won't argue with you there, but people need to know what happened in the past so we can avoid making the same mistakes. We don't feed people to the lions anymore."

"Okay." Hitch agreed. "We can agree on that much."

"But?"

"But just knowing about it isn't enough. People have to be willing to take a stand and actually change their behavior, or maybe their thinking. They have to admit something is wrong and have the courage to actually do something about it."

Tully shrugged. "I agree, but we have to start somewhere and I think education is the key. How do you change something that's wrong when you don't know it's going on?"

Hitch fell silent and Tully looked up with concern. "Is there something bothering you Hitch?"

"Are we ever going to change Tully?" Hitch frowned as he looked around. "Are we ever going to learn to get along with people who are different from us? Just because someone doesn't think the same way we do doesn't make them wrong does it?"

"No." Tully answered. "I think our surroundings have an influence on our behavior. But you also have to take into consideration religion, customs, and maybe even wealth. The poorer people sometimes have to forget their values in favor of survival. It's kind of hard to fault someone who is just trying to survive."

"But the wealthier people have problems too."

"Sure they do, they're human." Tully smiled. "All humans have problems, if they say they don't they're either liars or clueless. I guess you could call it our curse."

Hitch shook his head. "We're supposed to be the smartest lifeform on Earth; you'd think we could figure it out."

"We're going to have to if we ever want to live in peace." Tully sighed. "Do you know what is behind most of the wars that have been fought?"

"A quest for power?" Hitch guessed.

"Religion." Tully answered with a shake of his head. "Most religions preach peace but their followers use war to spread the word."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Especially since fundamentally they are so much alike. The Arabs call us infidels because we don't believe in Allah but Doc says that their religion actually has a lot in common with ours. It seems to me that we should be able to get along but you've seen how that worked out or us most of the time. I guess it's the fanatics of each religion that stir up the trouble and make everyone distrust everyone else."

"The Arabs treat their women a lot different." Hitch pointed out.

"Christians did that at one time too." Tully explained. "The way I see it, we grew and changed while they clung to the past. In a way reading about the ancient civilizations makes me appreciate the way things are now a whole lot more. They did some pretty amazing things considering what they had to work with. Look at that road Doc's father found for us. It survived hundreds of years, in the desert no less. Are the roads we're building now going to last that long?"

"That old road didn't have the traffic like the roads we build." Hitch argued.

"Maybe not, but you still have to admit, that work was pretty impressive."

Hitch nodded. "Okay, it was impressive."

Tully smiled. "Anyway, I like reading the books Doc loans me. Before I joined the Army I never left Kentucky, it's like visiting a whole new world."

"At least they won't feed you to the lions if you're only reading about them." Hitch smiled.

"There is that." Tully agreed with a grin.

"You know what Tully?"

"What?"

"You're starting to sound a lot like Doc."

Tully smiled. "I could do worse."

"Yeah, you could." Hitch smiled back.

"Do you have time to help me work on the transmission of my jeep before your date tonight?" Tully asked, getting back to business.

"Sure, did the parts come in?"

"Yeah, I picked them up this morning. Sarge wants me to get busy on it because he thinks we may have a new assignment tomorrow. You know how he likes the jeeps to be ready the minute he wants them."

"Yeah I do." The other private smiled. "We should have plenty of time to get it done before I have to get ready."

"Is this that red head you've been talking about for the last week?" Tully picked up his tray and started across the mess hall.

"Yeah, Janice, I finally got a date with her. It seems like every guy on the base has asked her out."

"Not every guy, I didn't."

"You know what I mean, she's really popular." Hitch grinned.

"Not my type."

"That's good," Hitch smiled, "one less guy to compete against." When Tully smiled Hitch laughed and followed him from the mess hall.

"I don't think you have to worry, you're pretty popular yourself." Tully drawled as they walked toward the motor pool.

"I guess." Hitch answered. "I never thought much about it." Hitch frowned in thought. "I never had to work too hard at it."

Tully chuckled at the admission and led the way to the jeeps.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Trouble With Gossip **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"Mark? Is that you?"

Hitch turned from helping Tully with the jeep to stare at the soldier who had called his name.

"You're Mark Hitchcock aren't you?" The soldier asked.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" Hitch asked warily. Tully crawled out from under the jeep and stood behind Hitch.

"Don't you remember me?" The soldier hesitated. "No, I guess you don't. I wasn't that unforgettable. Forget I said anything." The soldier started to turn away.

"Willie?"

The other soldier brightened as he turned back. "Yeah, it's me. I didn't think you remembered. Either that or you just didn't want anyone to know you knew me." He looked pointedly at Tully.

"You've changed a lot." Hitch answered in his own defense. "You were a skinny little runt in school."

"I guess we've all changed." Willie answered. "I put on some weight in basic."

Hitch looked the other soldier up and down and nodded. "You sure did, it looks like you added some muscle too. You look good Willie." Hitch half turned to Tully and nodded toward Willie. "Tully, this is Willie, Wilford Artemis Bancroft the third."

Tully nodded and held out his hand. He started to pull it back when he realized it was all covered in grease but Willie stepped forward and grabbed it before he could drop it to his side.

"Willie this is my buddy Tully, Tully Pettigrew." Hitch finished the introductions.

"Nice to meet you." Willie nodded at Tully. He turned back to Hitch and smiled widely. "It sure is good to see you. You're the first guy from my past that I've seen since I got here."

"How long have you been here?" Tully asked.

Willie smiled. "Since yesterday."

Hitch laughed. "That long huh? Don't be too upset but you're the first one I've seen from school and I've been here a lot longer than that."

"It's a big war." Willie answered. "To tell you the truth, I don't mind at all. I didn't really have a lot of friends in school. You were one of the few that would even talk to me."

"Things are different now Willie." Hitch answered. "You'll see, you'll make friends here."

"I wonder where the others ended up?"

"Not around here." Hitch answered. "We get around to most of the bases in the area and I've never seen anyone else from school. You're the first."

"Huh, I'm the first; that's a first." Willie looked around the motor pool and looked at the jeep. "Did you end up as a mechanic? You always did like to tinker with stuff."

"Not a mechanic." Hitch shook his head. "We only work on our own jeeps. We're kind of particular about how they run. I drive jeep for a long range patrol. Tully is our other driver. You should stick around and meet Sarge and Doc."

"Maybe some other time." Willie replied. "My sergeant sent me to check on his jeep. It was supposed to be ready this morning but it wasn't done when I was here earlier."

"That's just one of the reasons we work on our own." Tully remarked.

"What are the other reasons?" Willie asked.

"We like to tinker." Tully smiled as he looked over at Hitch. "And we depend on these jeeps for our lives so we want to be sure they're fixed right. Like Hitch says, we're kind of particular."

"Are you stationed around here or just passing through?" Hitch asked.

Willie looked uncomfortable with the question. "I guess I'm staying. I've been transferred around a lot but my captain said he thinks I should stay here."

"Why's that?" Tully asked.

Willie shrugged and looked at the ground. "Most of the guys in my outfit don't want me around. I ran into Clifford Donaldson just after I started basic, he's an officer now." Willie looked at Hitch and stopped talking.

Hitch nodded sympathetically. "Is he still giving you a hard time?"

Willie nodded.

"You could have been an officer Willie. Why didn't you enlist as an officer?"

"It just didn't feel like me." Willie answered. "I'm not comfortable giving orders to other people. What about you? You were in college too."

Hitch shrugged. "I didn't want to be an officer. I still don't. It's just not for me. I like what I'm doing and I like who I'm doing it with."

Willie nodded again and looked at the ground.

"Are the other guys giving you a hard time because of Clifford?"

Willie looked up at Hitch and then over at Tully. "He said some things in public and some of the guys heard it. It doesn't matter, I'm used to it."

"It's not right!" Hitch exclaimed hotly.

Willie looked down again and shrugged. "You're one of the few people who think so. Most everybody else just laughs or goes along with it. School's out but nothing has really changed."

"Any time you want to hang out and talk just look me up. If we're not on patrol that is." Hitch offered.

"Patrol? Does your unit go out a lot?"

"Quite a bit." Hitch answered. "We move around a lot, like I told you. The captain sends us out to do recon and keep track of what the Germans are up to." The blond explained. "But if we're on the base we can hang out some."

"What about your friend?" Willie looked at Tully.

Hitch looked at Tully too.

"I can hang out with you or I can find someone else to hang out with when you're together." Tully answered. "I don't want to invite myself if I'm not wanted."

"As far as I'm concerned, you're always welcome." Hitch assured him. "Is that okay with you Willie?"

"Sure." Willie smiled shyly. "If he wants to. Well I guess I should go check on that jeep. My sergeant is expecting me back. See you around." He gave a quick little wave and headed for the motor pool after checking to see who was standing around.

"Nervous little guy isn't he?" Tully remarked after Willie left.

"He has his reasons." Hitch answered as he watched Willie disappear around a corner.

Tully waited but Hitch didn't explain so he let the matter drop. "You'd better get going or you're going to be late for your date with that red head. You keep her waiting and she'll dump you for one of those other guys always hanging around her."

Hitch looked at his watch with a start. "Is it that late already? I'll catch you later Tully, I have to hurry."

Tully chuckled as the blond rushed off without a backward glance. Shaking his head at Hitch's antics he checked to make sure that all of his tools were clean and put away. He put everything where it belonged and went over the jeep one final time.

He was headed back to the barracks when a group of men drew his attention. Curious, he made his way over to see what was happening.

Willie stood in the middle of the group facing a guy half again his size. Neither man was saying anything but whatever had already been said had angered both of them. To Tully it looked like they were about to come to blows. Tully thought if it came to that Willie would be on his own. The rest of the group seemed to be behind the other guy.

"Is there a problem here?" Tully had come up without anyone noticing and his question surprised them.

"Nothing that concerns you." The bigger man snarled.

"I just met Willie but my buddy considers him a friend." Tully answered calmly. "That means it does concern me."

"Do you know who he is?" One of the group asked.

"Yep." Tully responded.

"And you're defending him?" Another one asked in surprise.

"Yep." Tully answered. "You kind of have him outnumbered don't you think?"

"It's not like he's going to defend himself." A third man laughed.

"Then leave him alone." Tully growled. "Go pick on someone your own size."

"Size has nothing to do with it." The big guy answered.

"That's easy for you to say." Tully replied. "You're bigger than he is. You have the advantage."

I don't need an advantage with him." The big guy huffed.

"Right." Tully agreed. "You just brought all of your buddies along for moral support."

"You don't know what you're sticking your nose into." The big guy growled.

"So tell me." Tully answered.

"What's going on here?" The group turned to face the new speaker.

"Nothing Lieutenant." The big guy responded. "We were just talking."

The officer eyed the group suspiciously. "All right," he finally nodded, "but do it somewhere else, you're blocking the road here." His eyes lingered on Willie as he spoke. Then he spotted Tully. "Pettigrew, what are you doing with this crowd?"

"I just stopped to see if Willie wanted to go have a cup of coffee with me Lieutenant." Tully nodded toward Willie.

The lieutenant couldn't hide his surprise at the explanation. "You know Private Bancroft?"

"He went to school with Hitch Lieutenant. I just met him a few minutes ago…but he's a friend of Hitch's." Tully said it as if it explained everything.

The lieutenant nodded as if it did. "Maybe you'd better go get that coffee before the mess hall runs out."

"Thank you Lieutenant, we'll do that. Won't we Willie?"

Willie looked confused and relieved at the same time. Glaring at the big guy he nodded. "I'd like that Tully."

"Let's go then." Tully motioned for Willie to lead the way. As they walked away Tully overheard the lieutenant warning the rest of the group not to start any trouble. "What was that all about?"

Willie shrugged. "They just like to tease me is all."

"That's all huh?" Tully replied. "It seemed like it was more than that. It looked like you were about to come to blows."

Willie shrugged and looked at Tully. "You don't have to sit and drink coffee with me. I know you were just being nice to me because of Mark. You probably don't want to be seen with me anyway, those guys will talk."

"Let them, they don't mean anything to me."

Willie stopped to look at Tully in surprise. "You really don't care what they say?"

Tully shook his head. "My Pappy says you care about those important to you first and everybody else later. They aren't important to me."

"Neither am I."

"But Hitch is, he's family. Adopted family, but family. And you are important to him. That makes you important to me too."

Willie smiled. "He was always nice to me no matter what the others said."

Tully waited but Willie stopped there.

"Well, we're here." Tully stopped in front of the mess hall. "We may as well see if they ran out of coffee yet."

"I'd like that." Willie smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Trouble With Gossip **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

"Lieutenant Hollorann stopped by to ask about you."

"Tully looked over at Troy in surprise. "Me? What did he want to know about me?"

"He said he broke up some trouble yesterday and you were right in the middle of it." Troy explained.

"I wasn't causing trouble Sarge."

Troy nodded. "That's what he said. He seemed to think that you were trying to prevent it." Tully nodded. "He wanted to know how you knew a Private Bancroft. Tully, who the devil is Private Bancroft and what part did he play in the trouble yesterday?"

"He's a friend of Hitch's from back home but I don't know what the trouble was about." Tully explained.

Troy looked skeptical and a bit disappointed. "I'm not mad Tully, I just want to know what's going on."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you Sarge, I just don't know." Tully explained. "I barely know the guy. He walked up while Hitch and I were working on the jeep yesterday and introduced himself. He went to school with Hitch."

"So what was the trouble the lieutenant was talking about?"

"Nobody really said." Tully shrugged. "Some big guy was facing off with Willie and his buddies were backing his play. It was all one sided so I stepped in to help Willie. I figured Hitch would want me to since they are friends. Besides, I didn't like the odds, they were all bigger than Willie."

"But you don't know what they were arguing about?

"No, I tried to get Willie to tell me but he didn't want to talk about it. I figured that I didn't have the right to push him if he didn't want to tell me. Like I said, I barely know him."

"All right, I was just wondering. The lieutenant didn't have a whole lot to say about it either."

"Maybe Hitch can give you some idea." Tully suggested. "I commented that Willie seemed nervous and Hitch said he had his reasons. He didn't explain any of them but I think he knows more than he let on."

"Okay, I'll talk to Hitch. I was just wondering what it was all about. The lieutenant seemed to think that it wasn't over yet. I don't want you and Hitch to get into any trouble."

"I don't want any trouble Sarge but those odds weren't fair. I think I would have stepped in even if Hitch hadn't known Willie."

Troy nodded that he understood but he didn't encourage Tully to get involved again.

"Hitch was just saying yesterday that the only way to change things is to get involved. I guess the only way to stop a bully is to face up to him. Willie couldn't have done that alone Sarge."

"Maybe not, but you just make sure that you have enough impartial witnesses to keep you out of trouble." Troy warned.

Tully smiled. "Got it Sarge."

The sergeant shook his head. "I have enough trouble keeping you and Hitch in line, now I have to worry about this Willie too."

"Willie didn't want trouble either Sarge. He seemed more resigned than angry or defiant."

"That may only encourage the bullies."

"In this case angry or defiant may have got him beat up, or worse. He's not a real big guy." Tully explained. "He's on the slender side and barely reaches five feet. I don't know," Tully continued, "there is just something about him that reminds me of fragile glass."

"This is no place for fragile glass." The sergeant warned.

"May not be a good place for this Willie fellow either." Tully agreed. "Anyway, nothing happened yesterday. The lieutenant came along and broke it up before it could really get started."

Troy nodded again. "Okay. Are the jeeps ready? We have a new assignment."

"They're ready Sarge. Do you want me to go find Hitch while you get Doc?"

"Moffitt will be here in a few minutes. You find Hitch while I go over our route with Moffitt."

"I'll be right back, I saw him headed toward our room as I was leaving."

"Headed toward your room? Wasn't he there last night?"

"Yeah, but he came in late." Tully explained. "He had a date with that red headed nurse everyone is after. I think he was going to catch a nap. I'll get him."

"Tell him to grab a sandwich if he hasn't eaten yet. We don't have time for him to eat in the mess hall."

Tully nodded and left. Fifteen minutes later Hitch showed up without Tully.

"Where's Tully?" Troy asked his driver.

"He's coming Sarge. He offered to run to the mess hall and grab me a sandwich while I check my jeep."

Hitch was finishing his final inspection when Tully arrived with his sandwich. He dropped the hood on his jeep and took the sandwich with a grateful thanks. He smiled at Tully but Tully didn't smile back.

"Is something wrong? You didn't have to get me a sandwich, I could have gone after it myself."

"No, it' not a problem." Tully answered with a scowl.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Tully shook his head angrily. "It's that friend of yours, Willie."

"Did Willie say something to you?" Hitch suddenly seemed more worried about what Willie may have said than he had been when he thought Tully was mad at him.

Tully shook his head again.

"Then what is it?" Hitch demanded.

"I saw him in the mess hall." Tully looked really upset. He glanced over at Troy. "Someone beat him up last night. He's got two black eyes and he has one arm in a sling. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't even look at me."

Hitch just nodded.

"Aren't you worried about him?"

"Sure I am." Hitch answered indignantly. "But I'm not sure what I can do about it. You tried to talk to him, he doesn't want help."

"He looks like he needs it." Tully growled.

"I know." The blond nodded. "I'll try to talk to him when we get back. I don't know how much good it will do. He usually won't tell anyone who beat him up."

"This has happened before?" Tully asked incredulously.

"Quite a few times while we were in school." Hitch nodded.

"Let' shake it!" Troy called. Hitch turned and climbed into his jeep. Tully had no choice but to do the same.

At the first stop to cool the engines Moffitt confronted Tully. "Would you care to tell me what is bothering you? Has Hitch done something to upset you?"

Tully looked up from filling his gas tank at the question. "Hitch hasn't done anything. What makes you think anything is bothering me anyway?"

The Brit smiled. "Because I know you. You're usually quiet but today you have taken it to a whole new level. Does this have anything to do with the argument Lieutenant Hollorann was asking about? Troy didn't give you a hard time did he?"

"No. Sarge asked me about it and I explained what happened."

Moffitt cocked an eyebrow at Tully and waited for him to continue.

"One of the guys involved in the argument, a friend of Hitch's from school, I saw him in the mess hall before we left."

"And?" Moffitt encouraged him to continue.

"Someone beat him up last night."

"And you think you know who did it?" Moffitt asked.

"Maybe." Tully answered with a shrug.

"I'm sure the MP's will figure it out and take the appropriate action." Moffitt suggested.

"I'm not so sure. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't even look at me. Hitch seems to think that he won't tell anyone who did it."

"Why not?" Moffitt asked.

"I don't know." Tully answered. "There is something strange about the whole situation."

"And you think that Hitch is somehow involved?" Moffitt asked in surprise.

"Hitch? No! I mean, he knows the guy, and I get the feeling that there is something he's not telling me, but I don't think he's involved."

"Have you asked him?"

"Not exactly." Tully admitted. "We didn't have a lot of time to talk. I'll ask him about it later."

"That might be best." The sergeant answered. "He may be able to shed a little light on the puzzle."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Tully promised.

"Until then maybe we should concentrate on our mission. There is nothing we can do about until we get back anyway."

"I'm paying attention Doc." He knew the sergeant had been teasing him when he caught him smiling.

itch while I go over our route with Moffitt."HHH

itch would qant me to since they are friendsHitHitch H


	4. Chapter 4

**The Trouble with Gossip**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"Hey Hitch!"

Hitch turned at Tully's call. "Yeah?"'

"Did you see Willie today?"

"No."

"Then you didn't know about the beating before I told you?"

Hitch looked down at the ground. "I heard a rumor but I didn't know for sure. And nobody said how bad it was."

Tully nodded. "I didn't think you acted too surprised."

"I'm not." Hitch agreed. "Especially after I heard what happened yesterday. Thanks for helping Willie by the way. If you hadn't interrupted it it might have gotten bad."

"No problem." Tully answered. "What exactly did I interrupt anyway?"

"There probably would have been a fight if you hadn't come along. Willie doesn't look for trouble, it just finds him." Hitch explained.

"What? Did they teach you that at that school you both attended? Trouble seems to find you too, especially the kind that involves bullets."

Hitch grinned self-consciously. "It's different with Willie. Trouble actually hunts him down. He's not much of a fighter so he usually ends up getting the worst of it."

"The fact that he's outnumbered may have something to do with it too." Tully added.

"Yeah, that's usually the case, bullies like to hunt in packs." Hitch agreed with distaste. "Willie spends a lot of his time alone so he's an easy target when they manage to corner him too." Hitch shrugged. "He's usually pretty good at avoiding ambushes though, he's had lots of practice."

"He seemed friendly enough yesterday, not so much today."

"Today he was embarrassed." Hitch explained. "He had what he calls his mark of shame."

"Huh?"

"The black eyes and the other bruises." Hitch answered. "He says they mark him as different. I like Willie, I hate to see everyone picking on him."

"Hitch!"

"Gotta go, Sarge is calling." The blond hurried off to answer the summons. Tully watched him go with a pensive look on his face. Hitch stopped in front of Troy. "Yeah Sarge?"

"Who is Private Bancroft?"

"He's a friend from school."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Why is everyone so interested in him? Or should I say, why does everyone want to beat him up? He seems to have made a lot of enemies in a short amount of time."

"Yeah, he does that." Hitch admitted.

"Keep talking. What's his problem?" Troy demanded.

Hitch looked away as his face reddened. "Willie is different Sarge."

"Different how?"

"You know… different." Hitch murmured.

"Hitch! Tell me how he's different!"

"Willie doesn't date girls!" Hitch nearly yelled.

"You mean he's shy?" Troy was trying to understand.

"Maybe. I guess that would explain it." Hitch hedged uncertainly. "But most of the guys at school thought it was more than that."

"Like what?"

"Sarge! It's really none of my business. I like Willie. He's really funny and smart and he's a good friend."

"Maybe the other guys are jealous." Troy suggested.

"Not really." Hitch replied quietly. "They think Willie is strange…they think he likes guys." Hitch blurted it out as if he was ashamed of it. "But I don't know that for a fact and I wouldn't say this to anyone else! Willie is my friend and I like him no matter what."

"I see. Is that what the fuss was all about when Tully interrupted?"

Hitch nodded miserably. "But it wasn't Willie's fault! He tries to avoid those guys."

"And you like him?"

"Not like that…but I like him. We're friends, that's all."

"Relax Hitch, that's not what I meant. I just meant that this guy is a friend and he has a problem."

"Yeah." Hitch admitted. "And I'd like to help him but I don't know how. Willie isn't real athletic or strong or anything. In fact, he's kind of small. He put on some muscle in basic but he's still smaller than most of the guys. And if you think I have an innocent face you should see Willie. You could catch him red-handed doing something and he could still convince you he was innocent. The thing is, Willie looks kind of girlish."

"But he can't convince anyone that he likes women?" Troy asked thoughtfully.

"Not really. He talks to girls all the time but it more like he's one of them rather than interested in them. Even the girls said that. None of them ever took him seriously." Hitch explained.

"But he talks to them? He relates to them."

"A little too much." Hitch answered. "He's a nice guy Sarge, just different."

"And with all of this testosterone around here he doesn't fit in?"

"He never was too comfortable in the locker room either." Hitch answered. "He got through school by avoiding sports and ducking when any group of guys were around. They called him all sorts of terrible names."

"Maybe it's time he stood up for himself."

"He tried that." Hitch replied. "He ended up in the hospital. He's not much of a fighter."

"What is he good at?"

Hitch shrugged. "He's smart. He worked in the dean's office at school. He's really organized. I bet he had the neatest room on campus. If I remember right he used to tutor some of the underclassmen on different subjects."

"Okay, so maybe he could get assigned to a job in an officer's office. That would give him at least a small degree of protection." Troy suggested.

"I guess he could but that wouldn't solve the problem, he'd have to leave the office eventually."

"Okay, so what are you going to do? He's your friend so I know you're not going to stand back and watch it happen. I know you're going to get involved somehow."

"I don't know Sarge. I tried to help him in school but I think I only made it worse."

"How?"

"I told everyone to leave him alone. All that did was give them another thing to tease him about. They thought he paid me to defend him."

"Then you need a new plan." Troy decided.

"Yeah, but what?"

"I'll talk to Moffitt. Maybe between us we can come up with a few ideas."

"Thanks Sarge. Willie doesn't deserve to be treated this way. If everyone would stop talking about it it might go away."

"That's the trouble with gossip," Troy nodded, "it takes on a life of its own. We'll figure this out Hitch."


	5. Chapter 5

The Trouble With Gossip

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"Hey Willie!"

"Oh, hi Mark. Where have you been? I haven't seen you around the base."

"We just got back from patrol." Hitch answered. Willie looked tired and Hitch thought he knew why. "Have those guys been giving you a hard time again?"

Willie shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't have to be!" Hitch protested.

"They're a lot like the guys at school." Willie answered. "I've had plenty of time to get used to it."

"Yeah, about that." Hitch moved closer to Willie so that he wouldn't be overheard. "I know that warning them to stay away won't help."

"Yeah." Willie answered sadly. "In school they just waited until you weren't around. They thought I paid you to look out for me."

"I've got a new plan."

"Forget it Mark." Willie interrupted. "I think I need to fight my own battles."

"That's the plan." Hitch argued. "I talked to Tully…"

"Wait! You told him about me?"

"Sure, he's a friend." Hitch admitted.

"And you told him what the argument was about?"

"No, not exactly." Hitch answered. "I just said that you weren't very athletic and the bigger guys picked on you."

"That's true enough." Willie agreed, mollified. "Okay, what's your plan this time?"

"Tully and I are going to teach you all of the fighting moves we know." Hitch explained. "We can't guarantee that you can beat those guys but you can surprise them with a little payback of your own."

"That's your plan?"

"You can't keep getting beat up Willie."

"Wanna bet?"

Hitch sighed. "What I mean is, you have to stand up for yourself. And to do that you're going to have to learn how to fight better than those guys. Maybe you can't beat them but you might do well enough to earn their respect. Maybe they'll find someone else to bully."

"Just pass my problem on to someone else?" Willie asked bitterly.

"I didn't mean it like that either." Hitch groaned.

"I know." Willie sighed. "I didn't mean to take my troubles out on you either, you've been a good friend. I just wish that there was some way to make those guys realize that what they are doing is wrong."

"We have to stand up to bullies or they will never change." Hitch declared. "We can teach you some moves the army never taught us. Tully knows some knife fighting techniques that work almost as well with bare hands. We learned some other stuff in commando school."

"All right." Willie agreed. "I'll try it. When do we start?"

"If you're free this afternoon Tully and I can take you out into the desert where no one will see us. That way when you have to use the moves they'll be a surprise."

"Okay, I'm free this afternoon. Where do I meet you?"

"In front of the motor pool at fifteen hundred hours. That gives us some time to work on the moves before it gets dark. We have to be back on base before dark or Sarge won't let us do it again."

"Does he know too?" Willie asked.

"He knows you need to learn to fight better." Hitch hedged.

"I'll be there." Willie promised.

Willie showed up at the motor pool at exactly fifteen hundred hours. He peeked out of an alley and looked around before walking out into the open. Then he hurried to the jeeps where Hitch waited. "Where's your buddy? Did he find out about me and decide he didn't want to help?"

"He went to get some gas for the jeeps." Hitch explained. "I have extra canteens so we have plenty of water. Tully will help us Willie. He's a friend."

Only half convinced Willie nodded warily. "Are you allowed to take the jeeps off base?"

"Sarge got permission." Hitch answered. "The captain said it was all right as long as we don't go too far alone. There's a wadi about a mile out where we can have some privacy. Sarge just said we had to be back before dark."

Tully returned then and Willie didn't ask any more questions. The three of them climbed into the jeep and Tully drove them to the wadi. Every day for the next week the three of them trained in the wadi. They were headed out for another training session when Troy and Moffitt asked if they could go along. Willie agreed reluctantly, expecting questions that he didn't want to answer. The sergeants watched the training for a while and were soon offering advice on how to improve some of the moves. Before long they were actively involved in Willie's ongoing training.

There hadn't been any more trouble since Willie spent almost all of his free time with the Rat Patrol. Little by little he picked up the skills they were showing him.

Then one day Willie showed up for training and there was no one there to meet him. The jeeps were gone and the motor pool was quiet.

"Willie Bancroft?"

Willie spun nervously at the sound of his name. Expecting to see a group of men he was relieved when it turned out to be one man. "Yeah?"

"I've got a message for you." The soldier announced. "The Rat Patrol got sent out on a mission and they aren't sure when they'll be back. They said they would look you up when they get back on base."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

"No problem." The soldier replied. "They seem to have really taken a liking to you. They usually just hang out together. I don't think I've ever seen them spend much time with anyone else. Don't get me wrong, they have friends, they just seem to prefer each other's company."

"Mark did say that they hang around together so that their sergeant can find them quickly when they have an assignment." Willie stammered. "He said that sometimes they have to leave in a hurry."

"I guess this was one of those times." The soldier nodded. "Well I have to get back to work, these trucks don't fix themselves."

"Most things don't." Willie answered as the mechanic hurried away. Glancing around to see if he was being watched he hurried back to his quarters.

For the next few days Willie stayed close to his room and alert for any sign of the soldiers who had been harassing him. Finally he decided that he didn't want to live like that anymore. Taking a deep breath he stepped out into the hall and walked out of the building.

It took an effort to keep his eyes focused straight ahead. He had a habit of searching every alley for lurking figures but he was determined not to do that this time. Staying in the center of the street he walked all the way to the mess hall using the main thoroughfare. He couldn't hide his grin when he arrived at his destination without incident. He looked around when he walked in and he told himself it was only to look for a seat, but he knew better. Thankfully none of his tormentors were present and he was able to eat his meal in peace.

When he left the mess hall he caught himself checking the street. Angry at himself he walked all the way back to his room without looking into any of the alleys. It was still hard to suppress the sigh when he arrived safely.

The next day went much the same. The Rat Patrol still wasn't back but he managed to get through the day with no problems. The third day found him more confident as he crossed from one side of the base to the other. He was finding it easier to forget to check the side streets and alleys when he went out. On the fourth day Captain Boggs called him into his office.

"You wanted to see me Captain?"

"Private Bancroft, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Private, it has been brought to my attention that you know something about working in an office."

It wasn't what Willie expected but he nodded. "I worked in the dean's office while I was going to school." He acknowledged.

"Can you type? File?"

"Yes sir, those were both included in my duties for the dean."

Captain Boggs nodded. "My clerk has been transferred and I need a new one. Are you interested in the job?"

Willie hesitated.

"It's probationary." The captain clarified. "You'll need to prove yourself to make it permanent."

"I think I can do that Captain." Willie answered confidently.

"Good, you'll start tomorrow. My present clerk leaves in less than a week, you'll have until then to learn the routine. Any questions?"

"I was just wondering sir, who recommended me?"

"That would be Sergeant Troy." The captain answered. "He told me that Private Hitchcock mentioned that you worked in your dean's office. I trust their judgement private, I think you'll workout just fine."

"Yes sir." Willie smiled. "Thank you for this opportunity."

"Don't thank me, thank Troy and Hitchcock. If you work out you can bet I'll be thanking them. Good clerks are hard to find."

"Yes sir, I'll be sure to thank them. May I ask sir, when are you expecting them back?"

"Tomorrow sometime if they don't run into any more trouble." The captain replied. "They radioed in a little while ago and said they were on their way back."

"Thank you again sir, I'll be ready to start tomorrow."

"Stop on your way out and get your new orders to give to your present commander."

"Yes sir." Willie answered with a smile. He was still smiling when he left the building with his new orders in his pocket.

He didn't check once to see if anyone was lurking in the shadows waiting for him. The mess hall was crowded but for once Willie didn't mind. The job as the captain's clerk was something he had never dreamed of getting and here the captain was giving him the job. He wasn't worried about proving himself, he knew he could do it and do it well. The officer had a reputation for being fair and treating his staff well. Willie smiled as he decided that things were finally looking up for him. He finished his meal and headed back to his quarters.

"Well, well, look who finally came out of hiding."

Willie froze as the voice floated out of the dark alley. All of his old fears came rushing back, threatening to overwhelm him. His heart sank as the small group of men stepped into his path.

"Where have you been hiding Willie boy?" The leader asked.

Facing his adversaries Willie pushed his shoulders back and tried to look confident. "I haven't been hiding, I've been busy."

"Too busy to find time for old friends?"

"Actually I've been spending my time with an old friend and a few new ones." Willie answered. "You don't count as my friends." The last several days had boosted Willie's confidence and he tried to hold onto that.

"Did you hear that boys? Willie here doesn't consider us friends."

"I'm okay with that." One of the others answered. "I like girls."

The others laughed and Willie fumed.

"Any one in particular?" The leader asked. "Maybe Willie here could talk to her girl to girl and set up a date for you."

"That red-headed nurse is sweet." The other soldier answered. "Janice something or other."

"How about it Willie, can you get Tommy a date with Janice the red head?"

Willie clenched his fists and remained silent. He knew Hitch was dating the red head but they didn't need to know that. He waited to see what they planned to do next. He got his answer when they formed a circle around him.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Trouble With Gossip **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

The Rat Patrol reported to Captain Boggs' office as soon as they returned. They were waiting in the hall when Willie walked out of one of the offices with a hand full of papers.

"What happened to you?" Troy demanded before any of the others could comment.

"Nothing." Willie answered. He looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening.

"How do the other guys look?"

Willie smiled at the four friends crowding around him. "They don't look so good either." He whispered. "I lost the fight but all five of them have my mark on them this morning." Willie chuckled.

"Five! That's not fair." Hitch yelped quietly.

"Maybe not." Willie agreed with a crooked smile. His swollen jaw made it a little hard to understand him. "But the others all jumped in after I knocked Billings to the ground." Willie laughed out loud. "That sure surprised them."

The others smiled.

"We're glad you're okay." Hitch answered in a low voice. "But this probably isn't the end of it. The next time they'll be expecting those new moves."

"I know." Willie answered. "But they'll be in the stockade for a few days at least." Willie looked at Hitch. "I've been thinking, maybe it's time I got up enough nerve to ask a girl for a date."

Hitch's mouth dropped open. He looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear then he whispered to Willie. "Are you sure? I thought you weren't interested in girls."

Willie smiled. "Yet you're still willing to be my friend."

Hitch looked at Troy and smiled. "It was none of my business."

"I'm not in your class Mark but I'm not like that either. I like girls. I just get tongue tied when the subject of dates comes up. I'm looking for a girl like my mom. She's the perfect wife, mother and companion for my dad. They make great partners. I want that for me. I can talk to girls but I haven't dated because I haven't found that kind of girl yet. When I do I'll know it. My dad knew my mom was the one the moment he met her. Maybe it's time I really start giving the girls a chance. Maybe get a little practice before I find the one."

Hitch smiled. "Maybe I can help. Janice has a roommate who doesn't date much. I can ask her to see if Karen would consider a double date. How about tonight?"

"With this mug?" Willie pointed to his face. "My first date would run away screaming."

"You could always play the sympathy card." Hitch suggested.

"It works for Hitch." Tully grinned. "It's the only way he can get a nurse to date him."

"Yeah." Hitch agreed. "I just tell them how I have to put up with Tully every day and they feel sorry for me." Tully made a face and Hitch laughed. "Seriously Willie, Janice might go for it. Karen, that's her roommate, is really nice. I met her a few times when I went to pick up Janice."

"What can it hurt?" Willie asked with his new found confidence. "They're nurses right? They've seen messed up mugs before. Tonight sounds good."

"I'll stop by the hospital after we're done talking to Captain Boggs and ask." Hitch offered. "Hopefully Karen will go for it."

Janice was reluctant at first but Hitch talked her into it. Finally she agreed to talk to Karen. Karen was hesitant but when she found out it was going to be a double date she agreed.

Hitch picked Willie up at his door to avoid any trouble before the evening could begin. The introductions were made and the four of them decided to take a moonlight walk to talk and get acquainted. Hitch got in late and Tully was already asleep.

"Well?" Troy asked at breakfast.

"Well what Sarge?" Hitch asked with a grin.

Troy snorted. "Don't play dumb."

"He's not playing." Tully laughed.

"How'd it go last night?" Troy demanded before Tully and Hitch could get him sidetracked.

Hitch smiled. "It went great Sarge. Janice's roommate Karen is really nice. I've seen her around but this was the first chance I had to really talk to her."

"You didn't!" Tully gasped.

"Didn't what?" Hitch asked.

"You didn't steal your buddy's girl?"

Troy and Moffitt exchanged glances but they waited for Hitch to explain.

"She wasn't really his girl." Hitch protested. "Janice and I set up the date."

"But she was with him." Tully argued.

"Yeah." Hitch nodded. "But we got along really well. We have a lot in common."

"What about Janice?" Troy asked.

"Oh Janice, yeah, well, she's nice and all that." Hitch shrugged. "We had fun together but we really didn't have a lot in common. We were more like friends."

"So you dumped her for her roommate." Tully growled. "That's not right Hitch. You could have at least waited until you got her back to her quarters to dump her."

"It wasn't like that!" The blond protested. "The four of us were talking and having a good time but I noticed that Janice was paying more attention to Willie than to me. And to be honest I guess I was paying more attention to Karen. We talked and we decided that we could still double date, only next time we'd switch partners." Hitch smiled. "Janice and Willie really hit it off. She's already accepted another date with him. Karen agreed to go out with me again."

"So it all worked out?" Moffitt asked.

"It worked out great Doc."

"For everyone?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, we're all happy." Hitch answered. "Willie is going to stop by the hospital and take Janice to lunch today. That should start a few tongues wagging."

"Hitch." Troy growled. "Haven't you had enough gossip?"

"This isn't gossip Sarge." Hitch replied. "Willie thinks it may be love. You heard what he said about his parents. He thinks Janice may be the one."

The guys got a new assignment and had to leave that same day. Hitch had to cancel his date with Karen but she understood. When they got back he went in search of Willie.

"Hey Willie, do you have a minute?"

"Sure Mark, just let me file this report." Willie joined Hitch in the hall outside of the office he shared with another clerk. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to apologize for missing our date." He blushed and looked around quickly as he realized how that sounded. "I mean the double date we had planned."

Willie laughed. "That's okay, I knew what you meant. And that's okay too. Janice and I went out alone. She's really great. I want to thank you for introducing us." Willie hesitated. "You aren't mad because I took your girl are you?"

Hitch smiled. "I like her, I still do, but we were more like friends. We never really had a lot in common. I'm not mad. If you're happy then I'm happy for you. I really have more in common with Karen and if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have met her. I should be thanking you."

"Janice and I are going to be exclusive." Willie blushed as he explained their decision. "She said she hasn't really met that many guys who interested her and I haven't met any other girls who interested me, so we're going to find out where this goes."

"That's great Willie! I'm happy for you, I really am."

"Then you're really not mad?"

"Not at all."

"What about you and Karen?"

"I won't ask anyone to wait for me." Hitch responded. "If it's meant to be it will happen. Right now the war keeps getting in the way. We're having fun but sooner or later we're both going to be moving on. I hope it work out or you and Janice."

"We both want it to work."

Hitch nodded. "What about the other problem?"

Willie smiled. "I fought back and surprised them. Then I landed a date with the girl of their dreams and caught them off guard again. I guess they're still regrouping because they haven't bothered me again."

"That's good. If they give you any more trouble just let me know. Sarge thinks they may leave you alone now that they know you work for Captain Boggs."

"I guess I have you to thank for that too."

"You know the job and the captain was looking for someone. You don't owe me anything." Hitch sighed. "We just got back and I'm beat. I'm going to shower and hit my bed. I'll see you later."

"Sure, maybe we can double date again." Willie suggested.

Hitch nodded. "I'd like that."

Willie went back to work and Hitch headed for his quarters. They could double date later but for now he would get some rest and dream about a date with Karen.

tch laughed.


End file.
